Thread winding



THREAD WINDING BY MMU March l2, 1940.

w. A. sN'lDER V2,1%,117 l l THREAD WIND I'NG Filed July 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Wyne. Snider ATTORNEY l Patented Mar. l2, 1940 UNITED STATES THREAD WINDING Wayne A. Snider, Nashville, Tenn., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application July 30, 1937, Serial No. 156,514

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in winding machines and more specifically it relates to automatically operated means for winding a transfer tail or length of reserve yarn on 5 the end of a cone, tube or other package support before winding the package itself.

In recent years, it has been found advantageous to have a reserve length of yarn on packages to be used on warping and knitting machines so that the process can be continuously operated without stopping the machine and tying in a new package when one package is exhausted, It has therefore become common practice to wind a few extra turns of yarn around the base of the package support so that this tie-in may be accomplished without stopping the textile machine. The .means which have been disclosed for accomplishing this purpose prior to my invention have been very complicated, are expensive to install and need frequent adjustment.

In the coning of rayon yarn, it is customary tov wind a few turns of yarn around the base of the cone core or other support by hand before the winding of the package itself is started. This hand winding operation has certain inherent disadvantages because the length of tail or reserve winding may vary in length, it may be wound too close to the end of the cone support and slip off, or it may be wound too loosely and slip off to become bruised or even broken, or it may be partly covered by the thread windings forming the yarn package and have insufficient effective length to serve the purpose for which it was intended. I'here is, therefore, a decided need fora simple means for automatically Winding transfer tails, or a length of reserve yarn on the end of the cop, tube or cone support.

It is therefore an object ofmy invention to provide an improved, automatic means for wind- 4'0, ing a length of` reserve yarn on the end of the core or support of a yarn package. Other objects will appear from' the description that follows.

The inventionl consistsgenerally of a suitable d' guide located in vsuch a position that it will retain the thread Vduring the major portion of one complete reciprocation or back-and-forth stroke of the thread traversing guide, after which thethread will be automatically removed from the:

tail-winding guide by the thread traversing Y guide and the' latter will then function in its normal capacity to form the thread package. In this way, the reserve yarn is uniformly wound 55 on the end of the cone support with a predetermined tension and position with respect to the end of the cone support.

'I'he construction and operation of the invention will be more clearly apparent by reference uto the following detailed description taken in 6 connection with the accompanying illustrations of one specific embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, with parts in section, showing the essential portions of a windl0 ing machine provided with a tail-winding mechanism constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view, with parts in section, of a section of the device shown in Fig. 1. l5

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational View showing a tail-winding hook in accordance with the invention.

`Eigs. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic elevational views illustrating the details of operation of the 20 invention".

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a conventional cone winding machine of the precision wind type. The winding machine is provided with driving means consisting of belt II, 25 pulley I2, belt I3, pulleys I4 and I5 and gear reduction mechanism I6, which elements are connected to each other in a known manner to rotatethe cone shaft I 'I and cam shaft I8.

The cone shaft II is adapted to drive the 30v spindle I9 on which is positioned the cone core or cone support 2|. A thread traverse member 23 isk positioned adjacent the cone support 2| and is arranged to reciprocate longitudinally of the support 2| to traverse the yarn along the 35 same. The traverse member 23 is provided with a slotted thread guide 25 which is preferably constructed in such amanner that it may ride on the cone support, or on the underlying thread layers on the cone support during the entire Winding operation. 'Ihe thread traverse member 23 is connected to a traverse bar 2'I which in turn is connected to cam 29 by means of cam follower 3|. 'I'he rotation of cam 29 will thereby reciprocate the traverse bar in a known man- 45 ner. The traverse member 23 is usually assembled'with a weighted means 33, and the whole assembly pivoted in such a manner that the thread guide 25 is very lightly positioned against the underlying thread layers as the cone builds Y up with a uniform pressure. The thread 35 is passed from a supply bobbin or the like (not shown) Vthrough a tensioning means 31 over a thread guiding bail wire 39 through the thread guide 25 onto the cone support 2|.

Before the thread is to be wound on the surface of the cone support which is to contain the built-up layers of thread, a length of reserve yarn or a so-called transfer tail is wound on the base of the cone support which is not to be covered by the yarn layers. This may be achieved by means of the tail-Winding hook 4| which is fixedly positioned in the frame member 43. The frame member '43, to which the hook 4I is attached, is preferably the traverse frame dog segment of the winding machine which is a conventionally used element in precision winding machines to provide a rest for the traverse frame dog which will prevent the thread traverse guide from gouging into the package during the winding operation. The tail-Winding hook when so positioned may be considered as substantially stationary. The tailwinding hook can, however, be lXedly positioned to almost any fixed part of the winding machine, if desired. The tail-winding hook 4| comprises a substantially horizontal body member 45, an upstanding inwardly curved portion 46 and a slightly enlarged portion 41. The curve in portion 46 and the enlargement at 41 are preferably of such contour that the thread will slip from the hook when the button guide 25 is in the right hand position as shown in Fig. 5.

The cone support is preferably slotted at the 'base thereof, as clearly shown at 5I in Figs. 4

and 5. The thread 35 is xedly positioned in the slot 5I by pulling it thereinto before the support is placed on the Winding spindle. The cone support is then placed onto the mandrel with the anchored end of the thread in advance, in the direction of rotation, of the tail-winding hook 4l.

The operation of this device is preferably carried out as follows. The end ofthe thread 35 is inserted in slot 5I in the base of the cone core 2| and the core placed on the Winding spindle I9 so that the slot is a little to the left of the tail hook. The thread is hooked over the tail-winding hook and then through the button thread guide 25 in the usual manner, the button guide being located about an inch forward of its extreme rearward position and traveling on its forward stroke (see Fig. 4 of the drawings). By operating in this manner, a substantially uniform length of tail will be wound because the traverse button will Imake considerably more thanhalf a stroke out towards the tip of the cone and then a full stroke back. Upon return of the button guideto Within one inch or less ofits limit of reciprocation in the direction of the tail-winding hook, the thread willbe automatically disengaged from the said hook. Substantially the same procedure will be used in the winding of cylindricalpackages, slight modifications being made according to the length of reserve winding desired in case the ratio of traverse to the R. P.; M. of the spindle is unusually low or high or for'some other purpose as is apparent to those skilled in the art. f f A 'While We have described this inventionI with reference to a specific type of winding machine wherein the tail Winder is attached to the dog segmentv on the `Winder head, other mountings are satisfactory, such as for instance mounting the tail Winder on the main frame of the machine or on'the traverse back.V

As will be apparent, the deviceis very sim-- ple land easy to install and is equally simple to operate. It winds a transfer tail of any predetermined length which is perfectly formed with-- out under-wound conditions, and therefore Wilt permit the reserve yarn to be easily removed. without breaking any filaments or damaging the A yarn.

One of the main advantages of this device is its simplicity. The operator threads up the machine in the usual manner and after the core is placed on the spindle, the operator hooks the thread with the left hand underneath the transfer tail hook, which is the only extra operation. The preferred method of operation reduces variations in tail length due to handwinding to a minimum. The saving of time and labor is evi. dent and the use of a short hook insures the proper location of each tail on the package core. It is easily installed without interfering with the construction or operation of conventional winding machines, and requires no adjustment.

Obviously many changes and modifications can be made in the details of the invention as specifically set forth Without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not to be limited except as set forth inv the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for the winding of thread packages, a thread package core, means for rotating said core, a thread guide, means for reciprocating said thread guide along said core, a fixed tail-winding means positioned adjacent the base of said core, said tail-Winding means comprising a hook-shaped thread engaging member, the bight of said hook-shaped member directed toward the outwardly projecting end of the core, said member adapted to guide the thread onto the base of said core while the thread guide is threaded andoperated in its normal capacity, the hook of said member being sufficiently shallow to release said thread when the reciprocating thread guide moves the thread into close proximity to the end of its traverse stroke at the base of said core.

2. In an apparatus for the winding of thread packages, a thread package core, means for r0- tating said core, a thread guide, means for reciprocating said thread guide along said core, a xed tail-winding means positioned adjacent the base of said core and below the line of travel of said thread guide, said tail-winding means compris-A ing a hook-shaped thread engaging member, the bight of said hook-shaped member directed toward the outwardly projecting end of the core, said member adapted to guide the thread onto the base of said core while the thread guide is threaded and operated in its normal capacity, the hook of said member being. sufliciently shallow to release said thread when the reciprocating thread guide moves the thread into close proximity to the end of its traverse stroke at the baseof said core.

3. In an apparatus for the winding of thread packages, a thread package core, means for rotating `said core, a thread guide, means for reciprocating said thread guide along said core, a fixed tail-Winding means adjacent one end of the core, said tail-winding means comprising a hookshaped thread engaging member, the bight of said hook-shaped member directed toward the en d of the core opposite to the end adjacent which the tail-winding means is fixed, said member adapted to engage said thread during all normal thread Winding positions of the thread guide except those positions in ywhich the said thread guide is in close proximity to the end of its stroke toward said tail-winding means,

the hook of said member being -sumciently sha1- low that the said thread guide will disengage the thread from said tail-winding means upon moving into close proximity to the end of its stroke toward said tail-winding means.

4. A tail-end guide adapted for attachment t0 a yarn winding machine of the type having a rotating member adapted to receive and rotate a support upon which a yarn package is to be wound and a reciprocating traversing guide for Winding the yarn upon said support to form a yarn package, said tail-end guide comprising a mounting bracket provided with means for attachment to the Winding machine, a yarn-guiding portion carried by said mounting-bracket and adapted to be positioned upon said winding machine near one end of the yarn-Winding support, and a yarn guiding face upon said guiding portion; theform, shape,position and angular relation of said yarn guiding face with respect to said guiding portion and said mounting bracket being such that when the yarn is threaded over said yarn guiding face and thence led to the rotating yarn support, with the winding machine in normal winding position, the yarn will Wind around the starting end of said rotating yarn support without substantial traverse thereon, and outside the area of the normally-traversed yarn package, to form a tail-end o-f yarn upon said yarn support, While the traversing guide is in Inormal traversing motion which would otherwise produce traverse of the yarn, 'said substantially non-traversing winding of the tail-end continuing until such time in the cycle of operation of the winding machine as the reciprocating traversing guide rst reaches the portion of its stroke adjacent the end of said yarn support where the tail-end is mounted, at which point of the stroke of the traversing guide the yarn is automatically disengagedfrom the guiding face of the tail-end guide by the normal motion of the traversing guide and without any motion of the tail-end guide, and the yarn thereafter winds upon the rotating yarn support in the normal manner and with the usual traverse to form the desired yarn package.

WAYNE A. SNIDER. 

